Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha said Tuesday competing parties should seek to unite against the ruling Cambodian People’s Party in July’s polls, as political party registration deadline approaches.

His statement comes after nearly a year of failure for the countries three largest competing parties to join together in an effort to defeat the CPP in this year’s general elections.

Kem Sokha said he had never overtly refused to join a coalition with the other parties, including the opposition Sam Rainsy Party and the Norodom Ranariddh Party.

If the parties do not unite now, it will be too late, he said at a press conference Tuesday.

SRP officials did not welcome the declaration, and an NRP spokesman called it a bid to confuse the public.

At least one election monitor said the parties could find other ways of defeating the CPP, which has been in power for nearly 30 years.